WO2021246619A1

WO2021246619A1 - Home appliance door lock device

Info

Publication number: WO2021246619A1
Application number: PCT/KR2021/002749
Authority: WO
Inventors: 서상원; 임장주; 이정길; 오민영; 김희창
Original assignee: 두얼파워전자(주)
Priority date: 2020-06-05
Filing date: 2021-03-05
Publication date: 2021-12-09
Also published as: KR20210151409A; KR102429320B1; US20230024919A1

Abstract

A door lock device according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises: a case having an inner space; an opening/closing part disposed in the inner space so as to open/close a door according to the advancing and retreating of a hook connected to the door; a driving part for guiding the opening/closing operation of the opening/closing part through linear movement; and a connecting part for connecting the opening/closing part and the driving part, wherein the opening/closing part includes: a locker coupled to or separated from the hook through a rotational motion when the hook advances and retreats; a locker support member, which is hinge-coupled to the case, is coupled to the locker to support the rotation of the locker, and rotates in the advancing or retreating direction of the hook during the rotational motion of the locker; and an elastic member positioned between the bottom surface of the case and the locker support member to press the locker support member in one direction.

Description

home appliance door lock device

The present invention relates to a door lock device for home appliances, and more particularly, to a door lock device mounted on a washing machine and dryer.

There are various home appliances in our daily life. In particular, in washing machines, dryers, dishwashers, microwave ovens, etc. that use contents by putting them in, a door is installed so that the contents can be blocked from the outside, and a locking device that opens and closes the door is an essential component of home appliances.

Until recently, various technologies related to the door lock device have been developed. Representative inventions include Korean Patent Registration No. 10-1667916 (Push and Push Door Lock Device) and Korean Patent Registration No. 10-1915250 (Manual Door Lock Device).

The push-and-push door lock device discloses a door lock device that automatically opens a door without a user opening the door when the operation of the home appliance is finished.

The push-and-push door lock device is installed inside the main body, and the lock release button releases the locking force of the fixing member by sliding operation to release the locker, and the door holding and door lock by the rotation operation of the rotating shaft equipped with a cam projection on one side. It includes a drive unit that selectively controls locking and automatic door opening operations. However, since the above device detects the locking or unlocking operation of the locker by detecting the position of the cam projection by the driving unit and the sensing member, the overall configuration and control are complicated.

The manual door lock device is a door lock device that can be operated manually while having a simple structure unlike the conventional method operated electronically by a solenoid is disclosed.

However, the above manual door lock device adopts a manual control method that requires the user's action to be intervened, and thus somewhat goes against the trend of convenience-oriented home appliances.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a door lock device having a simple device configuration, few failures, and stable locking and unlocking.

The door lock device according to an embodiment of the present invention forms a case in which an inner space is formed, an opening and closing part that opens and closes a door according to the entry and retreat of a hook disposed in the internal space and connected to the door, and an independent front chamber distinguished from the opening and closing part, A washing machine door lock device comprising a locking part for locking or unlocking a door, wherein the opening and closing part is connected to a locker that is coupled or separated from the hook through a rotational movement when the hook enters and retreats, and the locker provides rotational restoring force to the locker a solenoid for generating a linear thrust by an input electric signal, a flange for linear motion by the thrust generated from the solenoid, and a slider connected to the flange to perform a linear motion with the flange. , a fixed cam formed on the upper part of the slider, a cam pin connected to one side of the fixed cam to control the linear motion of the slider, an elastic member for providing a restoring force to the slider, a protrusion hole formed on the lower surface of the slider, and and a rocker slide protruding from a lower portion of the slider by linear motion of the slider to fix the rocker.

Here, the rocker includes a fixing hook inserted into the coupling hole formed in the hook and a locker fixing groove in which the rocker slide is seated.

Here, the rocker slide is formed with a moving track connected to the slider through which the protruding hole is inserted, and a rocker seating groove for seating and fixing the rocker at one end.

Here, an induction track is formed on the slider at an upper portion, and a curved electrode terminal is fastened between the induction tracks.

The door lock device according to an embodiment of the present invention may further include an unlock slide formed outside the case and connected to the slider.

The door lock device according to an embodiment of the present invention has a simple structure, so the manufacturing cost is relatively low, and durability can be secured.

In addition, it is advantageous to secure space because it can implement a compact size compared to the existing door lock device.

In addition, the consumer can easily cope with the failure of the door lock device that may occur inadvertently.

1 is an internal cross-sectional view of a door lock device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is an internal perspective view of an opening/closing unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a perspective view of a rocker slide according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a perspective view illustrating a coupling between a slider and a rocker slide according to an embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a view showing a locked state of the locker according to an embodiment of the present invention.

6 is a view showing an operating state of the locking unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Specific structural or functional descriptions of the embodiments according to the concept of the present invention disclosed in this specification are only exemplified for the purpose of explaining the embodiments according to the concept of the present invention, and the embodiments according to the concept of the present invention are It may be implemented in various forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein.

Since the embodiments according to the concept of the present invention may have various changes and may have various forms, the embodiments will be illustrated in the drawings and described in detail herein. However, this is not intended to limit the embodiments according to the concept of the present invention to specific disclosed forms, and includes all changes, equivalents, or substitutes included in the spirit and scope of the present invention.

Terms such as first or second may be used to describe various elements, but the elements should not be limited by the terms. The above terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another, for example without departing from the scope of the inventive concept, a first component may be termed a second component and similarly a second component A component may also be referred to as a first component.

When a component is referred to as being “connected” or “connected” to another component, it is understood that it may be directly connected or connected to the other component, but other components may exist in between. it should be On the other hand, when it is said that a certain element is "directly connected" or "directly connected" to another element, it should be understood that the other element does not exist in the middle. Other expressions describing the relationship between components, such as "between" and "immediately between" or "neighboring to" and "directly adjacent to", etc., should be interpreted similarly.

The terms used herein are used only to describe specific embodiments, and are not intended to limit the present invention. The singular expression includes the plural expression unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In this specification, terms such as "comprise" or "have" are intended to designate that a feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof described herein exists, but one or more other features It should be understood that it does not preclude the possibility of the presence or addition of numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

Unless defined otherwise, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Terms such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meaning in the context of the related art, and should not be interpreted in an ideal or excessively formal meaning unless explicitly defined in the present specification. does not

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the scope of the patent application is not limited or limited by these examples. Like reference numerals in each figure indicate like elements.

1 is an internal cross-sectional view of a washing machine door lock device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

1 to 5, the door lock device according to an embodiment of the present invention opens and closes the door according to the entry and retreat of a case having an internal space, a hook 30 disposed in the internal space and connected to the door A washing machine door lock device comprising an opening/closing unit 100 and a locking unit 200 for locking or unlocking a door and forming an independent front chamber distinct from the opening/closing unit 100, wherein the opening/closing unit 100 is the hook 30 A rocker 110 coupled to or separated from the hook 30 through rotational movement during entry and retreat, and a cam spring 120 that is connected to the rocker 110 and provides rotational restoring force to the rocker 110. , the locking unit 200 is a solenoid 210 that generates a linear thrust by an input electrical signal, a flange 220 that performs a linear motion by the thrust generated from the solenoid 210, and the flange 220 is connected A slider 230 that becomes linear motion with the flange 220 , a fixed cam 235 formed on the upper portion of the slider 230 , and one end of the slider 230 is connected to the fixed cam 235 . A cam pin 240 for controlling a linear motion, an elastic member 250 for providing a restoring force to the slider 230 , a protrusion hole 236 formed on a lower surface of the slider 230 , and a lower portion of the slider 230 . and a rocker slide 270 protruding from the linear motion of the slider 230 to fix the rocker 110 .

As shown in FIG. 1 , the door lock device according to the embodiment of the present invention is divided into an opening and closing unit 100 and a locking unit 200 , and the opening and closing unit 100 physically locks or releases the door when the hook 30 is introduced. is a device that Furthermore, the locking unit 200 is a device for maintaining or releasing the locked state of the door by using an electrical energy source.

The opening/closing unit 100 and the locking unit 200 may be integrally coupled, and in some cases may be configured to be detachable.

The opening/closing unit 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a rocker 110 and a cam spring 120 . The locker 110 is a place where the hook 30 attached to the door is actually fastened, and is configured to rotate at a predetermined angle around a rotating rod installed on a wall constituting the inside of the opening/closing unit 100 .

In particular, the rocker 110 is a place to which the hook 30 is fastened and directly receives a load, and is preferably made of a metal alloy material or plastic material, which ensures as much rigidity as possible.

The rocker 110 includes a fixing hook 111 inserted into the coupling hole formed in the hook 30 , and a locker fixing groove 112 in which the rocker slide 270 is seated.

The fixing hook 111 is a part to which the hook 30 is fastened, and the locker fixing groove 112 is formed in a structure recessed in the rear lower portion of the rocker 110. As the rocker slide 270 flows in, the rocker ( 110) to prevent rotation.

The cam spring 120 is connected to the rocker 110 to provide rotational restoring force.

The cam spring 120 is seated in a space formed inside the opening/closing unit 100 , and is connected to the rear surface of the rocker 110 .

The cam spring 120 continuously provides an elastic force to the rocker 110 . In more detail, the cam spring 120 always applies an elastic force in the direction of the rocker 110 . When configuring the cam spring 120 in this way, the rocker 110 may be placed only in the always closed or always open state.

That is, the rocker 110 cannot be placed in an intermediate state of being closed or opened by the continuous elastic force (repulsive force or repulsive force) acting by the cam spring 120, and the rocker 110 is in a state in which the hook 30 is introduced. The elastic force (repulsive force or repulsive force) to maintain the closed state continuously acts, and when the hook is removed from the rocker 110 by an external force to open the locker, unless another external force acts on the rocker by the cam spring 120. (110) is maintained in an open state without rotation.

In other words, as shown in FIG. 2, the cam spring 120 has one end fastened to a hole to be formed at the rear of the rocker 110 so that it can be firmly connected to the rocker 110, and the hook 30 is introduced into the rocker ( In the state coupled to the 110), the cam spring 120 is in a state in which a minimum load is applied.

In addition, when the hook 30 is retracted and removed from the rocker 110 , a minimum load is applied to the cam spring 120 connected to the rocker 110 , and the open state is maintained.

The locking unit 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention is connected to the opening and closing unit 100 and functions to maintain the locked state so that the door is not opened while the home appliance such as a washing machine or dryer is driven.

As described above, the locking unit 200 includes a solenoid 210 , a flange 220 , a slider 230 , a fixed cam 235 , a cam pin 240 , an elastic member 250 , a protrusion hole 236 , and a rocker slide. (270).

The solenoid 210 has a structure in which a magnetic material is mounted therein, a coil is wound around it, and when a current is applied to the coil, a magnetic force is formed inside the solenoid, and the magnetic material is a principle of linear motion.

The flange 220 is connected to the solenoid 210 and moves together according to the linear motion generated in the solenoid 210 . The flange 220 may be made of a metal material, and is firmly coupled to the magnetic material of the solenoid 210 . In particular, one end of the flange 220 may be formed to have a wide cross-section, so that it is engaged with the slider 230 to be described below.

The flange 220 is preferably made of a relatively light material, and is preferably not supported by other structures so as not to act as a load for the thrust generated from the solenoid 210 .

One side of the slider 230 is coupled to the flange 220 of the solenoid 210, and the other side is coupled to a rocker slide 270 to be described later. The slider 230 has a protrusion hole 235 formed on the other side thereof and is connected to the rocker slide 270 .

In addition, the slider 230 is formed on one side of the guide track 232 to which the curved electrode terminal 280 is fastened. The slider 230 also has a fixed cam 235 formed on one side thereof. The fixed cam 235 is engraved, and one end of the cam pin 240 is seated to determine the linear motion play of the slider 230 .

The linear motion of the slider 230 by the fixed cam 235 and the cam pin 240 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 6 below.

The cam pin 240 fastened to the fixed cam 235 is a “c”-shaped metal pin, and is preferably made of a material having excellent rigidity. One end of the cam pin 240 is seated on the fixed cam 235 , and the other end is fixedly coupled to an external predetermined area of the slider 230 . The cam pin 240 according to the embodiment of the present invention provides a protruding area in the case accommodating the slider 230, and has a hole for fixing the other end of the cam pin 240 in the protruding area. conclude

The elastic member 250 provides a restoring force to the slider 230 , but extends the slider 230 to the right as shown in FIG. 1 . That is, the elastic member 250 positions the slider 230 in an unlocked state in which the solenoid 210 does not operate.

The protrusion hole 236 is fastened to the moving track 275 formed on the rocker slide 270 as shown in FIG. 4 to operate the rocker slide 270 according to the movement of the slider 230 .

The operation of the slider 230 and the rocker slide 270 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 6 below.

The curved electrode terminal 280 is fastened along the induction track 232 of the slider 230, and the curved electrode terminal 280 is detached or attached to the ground electrode due to the linear motion of the slider.

The rocker slide 270 is located at the lower portion of the slider 230, and a moving track 275 connected to the slider 230 through which a protrusion hole 236 is inserted and a rocker seating groove for seating and fixing the rocker 110 at one end ( 276) is formed.

The rocker slide 270 is made of a plastic material and is preferably made of the same material as the slider 230, and is fastened in a slot shape to the lower plate constituting the case in a rectangular shape to enable free linear movement.

As shown in FIG. 3 , the moving track 275 formed on the rocker slide 270 has a straight shape with an upper portion bent in the opening/closing part 100 direction. The moving track 275 of the rocker slide 270 may be a curved hole formed through the rocker slide 270 as shown in FIG. 3 , but may be a curved groove that does not penetrate the rocker slide 270 .

In addition, a rocker seating groove 276 in which the rocker 110 is seated is formed at one end of the rocker slide 270 . The locker seating groove 276 is formed in a size that can protrude or be inserted into the outside of the locking part 200 , and is preferably implemented as a circular groove so that it can be seated in the same shape as the shape of the locker 110 .

As shown in FIG. 5 , the locker fixing groove 112 is in a state in which rotation is impossible while being seated in the locker seating groove 276 . The rocker slide 270 is located under the slider 230 and moves in a direction different from the moving direction of the slider 230 by the moving track 275 when the slider 230 is moved.

In addition, the washing machine door lock device according to an embodiment of the present invention further includes an unlock slide 300 formed outside the case and connected to the slider 230 .

The unlock slide 300 is formed to protrude to the outside of the case, and may be implemented in a form in which a plastic band is bent into an annular shape as shown in FIG. 1 to ensure restoring force due to elasticity, but is not necessarily limited thereto.

Above, the components included in the washing machine door lock device according to the embodiment of the present invention have been described in detail.

Hereinafter, the operating state of the washing machine door lock device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 6 .

The left view of FIG. 6 shows the locking unit 200 in a state in which power is not supplied to the solenoid 210 , and the flange 220 connected to the solenoid 210 is elongated, and one end of the cam pin 240 . is located at the lower end of the fixed cam 235 . In addition, the elastic member 250 is mounted on the slider 230 in an extended state. In addition, the bent electrode terminal 280 coupled to the induction track 232 of the slider 230 is also in a state not in contact with the ground terminal.

Accordingly, in a state in which the locking unit 200 does not operate, the rocker seating groove 276 formed at one end of the rocker slide 270 to the right of the locking unit 200 does not protrude.

When the locking unit 200 operates as shown in the right diagram of FIG. 6 , power is supplied to the solenoid 210 to pull the flange 220 toward the solenoid 210 . The slider 230 connected to the flange 220 linearly moves in the direction of the solenoid 210 together, and the cam pin 240 having one end located at the lower end of the fixed cam 235 is the upper end of the fixed cam 235 . arrives at a position where In addition, the elastic member 250 mounted on the slider 230 is subjected to a force by the slider 230 in a contracting direction.

As the slider 230 approaches in the direction of the solenoid 210, the bent electrode terminal 280 is connected to the ground terminal installed on the side, and as described in FIG. 3, the rocker slide 270 with the moving track 275 is provided. As the slider 230 moves down in the solenoid 210 direction, it moves in the right direction to protrude the rocker seating groove 276 .

When the locker seating groove 276 protrudes, as shown in FIG. 5, the locker seating groove 276 is coupled to the locker fixing groove 112 formed at the rear of the locker 110, and the locker 110 is locked. , the hook 30 introduced into the locker 110 remains fixed to the locker 110, so that the washing machine door is locked.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to the embodiment shown in the drawings, which is merely exemplary, those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications and equivalent other embodiments are possible therefrom. For example, the described techniques are performed in an order different from the described method, and/or the described components of the system, structure, apparatus, circuit, etc. are combined or combined in a different form than the described method, or other components Or substituted or substituted by equivalents may achieve an appropriate result. Accordingly, the true technical protection scope of the present invention should be determined by the technical spirit of the appended claims.

Claims

A case having an internal space, an opening and closing part that opens and closes the door according to the entry and retreat of a hook disposed in the internal space and connected to the door, and a locking part that forms an independent front chamber and locks or unlocks the door A washing machine door lock device comprising:

The opening and closing part

a rocker coupled to or separated from the hook through a rotational movement when the hook enters and retreats; and

and a cam spring connected to the rocker to provide rotational restoring force to the rocker,

The locking part

a solenoid that generates a linear thrust by an input electric signal;

a flange for linear motion by the thrust generated from the solenoid;

a slider connected to the flange to perform a linear motion together with the flange;

a fixed cam formed on the slider;

a cam pin having one side connected to the fixed cam to control the linear motion of the slider;

an elastic member providing a restoring force to the slider;

a protrusion hole formed on the lower surface of the slider; and

and a rocker slide protruding from a lower portion of the slider by a linear movement of the slider to fix the locker.
The method of claim 1,

the locker

a fixing hook inserted into the coupling hole formed in the hook; and

A washing machine door lock device comprising a locker fixing groove in which the rocker slide is seated.
According to claim 1,

The rocker slide may include a moving track into which the protrusion hole is inserted and connected to the slider; and

A washing machine door lock device, characterized in that a locker seating groove for seating and fixing the locker is formed at one end.
The method of claim 1,

the slider

A washing machine door lock device, characterized in that an induction track is formed on the upper portion, and a bent electrode terminal is fastened between the induction tracks.
According to claim 1,

The washing machine door lock device further comprising an unlock slide formed outside the case and connected to the slider.